Chapitre 123: Recollection
<Author's note:
Hi, this arc will be quite racist and political that it will make you cringe -- even I cringed a couple of times writing this arc.
In all honesty, I tried so many times (since Chapter 38) to find a way where I could evade these things. In the previous arcs and chapters so far, I was able to tone it down or completely ignore it. But now, for this arc, I couldn't think of a way. Every time I tried to remove either one of them, the human relationships, the world-building and the story arcs I've written and planned for the future just crumbles. It simply just doesn't work on a global scale.
Seriously, it made me really appreciate fantasy stories where there are elves, orcs, etc. because you can easily avoid choosing what human ethnicity to paint as good guys and bad guys.
So yeah... I would like to apologize in advance. And I hope you could just keep in mind that this is solely for the world-building, including the "payoff" at the final arc of Volume 1 (the Immortal Patrons know the "payoff" but I know they won't spoil).
Sorry and thank you for understanding.>
5 months ago.
Nathan, 24 years old.
Cram City, Womania.
6:12 am.
Rock music was blasting on Nathan's headphones and the spring breeze brushed against his cheeks as he jogged his way back to the apartment building where he and Amir lives.
He kept his eyes forward while he controlled his breathing and posture.
Inhale.
'1, 2, 3, 4, 5…'
Exhale.
'1, 2, 3…'
Inhale.
'1, 2, 3, 4, 5…'
Exhale.
It's been three months since he arrived here in Womania.
Although Womania was a country that was very welcoming to immigrants so it was considered as a melting pot of many cultures, it took him almost 3 years to save money and process all the papers he needed to come here.
He even took Regisian language lessons for 6 months and did some research on what it was like living here.
Despite Regisian being the most popular language internationally and he could read and write with it, he wanted to improve his proficiency to be more prepared.
Amir's father, Abbas, tried a couple of times to help Nathan with the expenses but he refused it. He wanted to do things on his own so that in case he didn't like it here in Womania, he could return back to Muwin without feeling guilty and he could only blame himself.
Seeing his determination, uncle Abbas finally gave up and was left in admiration for Nathan's independence.
As for the reason he was jogging, aside from getting health benefits, this was also his way to further familiarize himself with the neighborhood.
Womania was like a massive concrete jungle with hundreds of tall buildings that there were barely any plants.
The first week he arrived here, he honestly got lost while he was jogging around.
Up ahead, Nathan could see a group of black men.
'Oops…'
Perhaps it was thanks to media, perhaps it was because Muwin was a country that considers fair and white skin beautiful to be beautiful, or perhaps both. Regardless, seeing the group of black men, he decided to cross the street.
It's better to be careful than take unnecessary risks.
Despite Womania being a melting pot of many different cultures because of its openness to immigrants, it wasn't exactly a paradise.
There's no such place on Earth.
The top 1% or the true masters of Womania weren't doing this for some altruistic pursuit.
The main driving factor was capitalism.
The push for gender equality and multiculturalism in this country was to lower the cost of labor.
With women and immigrants added into the labor market, from an economic standpoint alone, the country's GDP was booming.
More businesses were being created, leading to more jobs available.
In fact, Womania was among the top 15 countries in the world with a healthy GDP score.
However, it was a different matter regarding the relationship between men and women.
It was more or less toxic -- at least from Nathan's perspective.
The way he sees it, it was like most of the men in this country have been reduced into white knights or had their balls chopped off -- some of them in a literal sense.
This also led to some racist or misogynist groups in the country but there were only a handful of them.
The natives in Womania were Caucasian people with black hair.
From some of the native racists' point of view, they argued that Womania was losing its cultural identity because foreigners are not only taking over the country but also stealing the jobs. They felt insulted that some of them have to work for foreigners here in their own country.
But of course, among the immigrants, there were also racists.
Meanwhile, from the misogynists' point of view, they argued that women here are no longer women. They act no differently from men yet still demand the benefits that traditional women get.
But of course, there were still women in this country who still acts like traditional women. There were also women who genuinely practice independence.
However, they were only a handful of them.
So best of luck in finding one.
But despite this new environment that Nathan was currently living in, he was more or less able to adapt but not yet completely. It was still a working progress on his part.
The reason for this was because he spent some time in the northern region of Muwin.
The northern region of Muwin was dominated by the Trinitian religion. Even though it was still a religious region, they were more open to outsiders compared to the southern region where it's dominated by the Iklasian religion. With that, he was able to pull from his experience living there and apply it here at Womania.
However, the difference between living here in Womania or in Cram city and the northern region of Muwin was still too great.
Sure, the northern region of Muwin was less a patriarchal society compared to the southern region, but in this country, it was cranked up into a 100.
It was almost mind-blowing in a sense for Nathan.
But it was still livable nonetheless.
And plus, who was he to judge?
It's not like Muwin was a perfect country either.
Also, he wasn't a native here.
He would always be and feel like a foreigner here no matter what.
The people in this country could kill each other for all he cares and he wouldn't even bat an eye.
He was only here to earn money.
His goal was very simple -- work hard, save as much as he could and conform to this society's standards without rocking the boat while he stayed here. And once he earns enough money, he would go back to Muwin, start his own business there. Perhaps he could try his luck in the real state business where he could have a passive income by renting property to people.
***
6:32 am.
Nathan arrived at the entrance of the apartment building where he and Amir lives.
At the entrance, he saw two security guards talking.
One was on his uniform, while the other wasn't.
The one that was dressed in civilian clothing just ended his shift and was having a quick chat with the guard that replaced him.
The guard that was dressed in civilian clothing was talking excitedly.
Nathan removed his headphones and greeted, "Chief."
The two security guards turned to him.
He nodded to them and they nodded back.
"Hey, man, listen up. I got great news," Guard A said with a smile.
Nathan stopped and replied, "Oh, what's up?"
There were a number of life lessons he learned in his life.
Just like it's a stupid mistake to treat waiters poorly because they might spit on your meal, it was also important to befriend guards.
Aside from the fact that guards are the gatekeepers to any organization so it's best to befriend them, they're also a good source of information.
Their job is long and boring.
And so to kill time during their shift, they would share stories with each other if they had companions to talk to or would observe their surroundings keenly, taking note of every single detail.
However, it's also important to note that there are some people who would inflate their story, be it deliberately or not, to make it sound more dramatic.
So it's crucial to be able to differentiate bullshit stories from the real ones.
"The hot blonde bombshell is moving in today," said Guard A.
"Hot blonde bombshell?" Nathan said and raised an eyebrow.
"Brad, you should at least tell me him the whole story," said Guard B.
"Oh, yeah. You see, two weeks ago, this woman who looked like a young version of Kate Upton came over to inquire for an apartment. Man, if you see her, her breasts and ass were like a black woman's. The size was just so perfect. I tell you, man, she's my dream wife."
Guard B scoffed. "Dream wife? Quit dreaming. A hot, young woman like that would never consider you as a potential mate. Maybe if she's already in her late 30s, divorced, had a couple of children and full of emotional baggage, you might have a slim chance."
"Hey, Antonio, just because you only bang ugly chicks, don't be a sour grape. If a man doesn't aspire for beautiful things, what's the point in living? I tell you, once I get my lucky break and become super-rich, I'm going to travel around the world and bang all the hot chicks! Mark my words."
Brad was an aspiring musician on the side and other things.
Antonio rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah, yeah."
"Whatever," Brad said and then looked at Nathan. "She's moving to your floor. I think she's coming around 9 or 10:00 am. But don't make any moves on her. She's going to be my wife one day."
Nathan flashed a friendly smile and raised his hands in the air. "Don't worry, chief. I would never dream of getting in your way."
"Good!" Brad said and then looked at Antonio, "You should learn from this guy. He knows I'm going to be someone one day."
Antonio rolled his eyes.
'This is the great news? Useless. And what exactly is a bombshell?' Nathan thought.
He wasn't interested and more or less shared the same outlook of Antonio.
He knew what's his social standing was.
He was just an average person.
With that, he wasn't interested in competing with other men over a beautiful woman.
To him, it was too much of an effort and way too risky to deal with.
There were other girls that were between a 4 and 6 anyway that were willing.
And plus, he wasn't looking for a serious relationship.
And speaking of beautiful, there were other aspects that Nathan was still trying to adapt.
It was the standards of beauty of Womania.
The first standard of beauty is the makeup.
Back in Muwin, there were people who wore makeup. But here in Womania, especially in the city, it was an art that was practiced into perfection.
The technique was so refined that you wouldn't be able to recognize them if you see them without makeup.
The second standard of beauty is that there were actually "slim" Caucasians and black people.
Now, before you call Nathan a racist, try to look at it from his perspective.
Nathan has seen white and black people in the media. He has also seen a few of them in the flesh back in Muwin.
Some of them were even drop-dead gorgeous.
However, given that he spent most of his life in Muwin, his definition of beauty was based on Asian standards.
An Asian's skeletal structure is mostly leaner compared to a Caucasian and black person.
This is also probably why Asian men are seen as less masculine, while white and black men are seen as more masculine -- at least in terms of physical looks.
There's also of the definition of what's considered as "petite".
From his perspective, a "slim" Asian is basically like an "anorexic" white or black person.
Meanwhile, a "slim" white or black person is an "average" sized Asian.
Because of this, he was shocked to see a petite and anorexic white and black person for the first time because he always viewed them as large.
However, these petite and anorexic white and black people were very rare.
Putting aside the biological differences of bone structure, at least 60% of the people here were fat.
As for the cause of that, it was all thanks to the body acceptance movement that was pushed by the feminists in this country.
Furthermore, women here in this country have a lot of power so he believes that his idea of only going for women that are between a 4 and 6 seems is the best route.
Call him a defeatist, bitter, coward, lazy, realist or whatever you want.
The last thing he wanted to do was try to flirt with a beautiful woman and risk the chance of not only getting rejected but also being accused of sexual harassment.
Because in most cases, when a woman gets attention from a person they're attracted to, it's called flirting. But when it's from an ugly person, it's considered sexual harassment.
So to him, why would he risk his life and all the things that he has worked his ass for years all for the sake of a beautiful woman that he doesn't have any plan to marry?
There was too much risk yet so little reward.
"Chief, I got to go. My relatives are coming over later and I got a big day today."
"Okay," said Brad and Antonio.
Nathan left and entered the apartment building.
He really had a big day today, but it was later tonight.
Amir's parents and sister flew from Muwin here to Womania 3 days ago and were staying at a hotel downtown.
Amir's parents moved back to Muwin at Latif City about 3 years ago for Aena, Amir's sister.
Although Amir's parents loved the freedom and progressiveness of Womania, they started to fear for their daughter's principles because of all the "freedom" that women had and the influence of the all-women rights groups here. So to balance out her principles because they didn't want her to go full-feminist, they decided to have her attend college at Latif city. In their eyes, the central region was the best environment because the northern and southern Muwian cultures were blended together, offering a sense of balance.
Going back to why Nathan said he had a big day today…
Today was a Sunday and it was his day off.
However, today also happens to be Amir's birthday.
As much as he would rather just spend the whole day at his apartment resting and read the chapters of his favorite novels that he stocked for the whole month, he didn't have any choice but to attend the birthday party tonight.
The party will be held at a banquet hall of a hotel that Amir's family rented for the occasion.
The people who were going to attend the party tonight were Amir's family and friends -- the family was from his father's side.
But regardless of who they were, they were people that Nathan didn't care about.
Why would he?
He didn't share any strong bond or blood with them.
Even with his very own family members, there were some that he didn't care about.
At the moment, here in Womania, there were only 4 people that he more or less cared about: uncle Abbas, aunt Amira, Amir and Aena.
There was also uncle Abbas' younger brother, Kaaf, whom he had a complicated relationship with.
Kaaf owns an online publishing company that tackles on immigrant and feminist topics.
It was uncle Abbas who requested to give Nathan a job there.
Nathan accepted it because he was neither with it or against it.
He was given a position as an editor and the pay was good -- in fact, too good to be honest because even with this one job alone, not only could he cover his monthly expenses but also save some money.
Furthermore, he was also given special privileges, like working home-based.
The only drawback from it all was that Kaaf's son, Kaab, likes to boss Nathan around.
So although he was grateful for the job, he still sees Kaaf as close to a stranger, thanks to Kaab.
***
Nathan was walking along the hallway of the first floor and heading for the stairs when he saw a little girl all alone scribbling on the wall.
In his 3 months here, he has never seen this child so he doesn't know if she lives here or not.
The little girl stopped scribbling and looked at him.
He ignored her and just continued making his way to the stairs.
Here in Womania, masculinity, specifically coming from biological men, is considered toxic.
Despite Nathan being part of the "protected" class because he was an immigrant and wasn't white, he still could easily be labeled as a pedophile if he looks, goes near or talks to a child that he isn't related with.
And God forbid he gets alone stuck with a child inside an elevator or a room for more than a minute.
With those things, as a man, the best approach is just to avoid and ignore children that were unrelated to you.
As he was climbing the stairs, he encountered a very handsome Caucasian man carrying a drawing storage tube over his shoulder.
The man was about 30 years old, 6'2" tall, black short hair, had a good physique, piercing blue eyes, and a chiseled jawline.
"Morning," said the man and smiled.
Nathan spared the man a quick glance and replied, "Morning," before moving to the right to make way.
***
The third floor.
As Nathan was making his way to his apartment, a woman in her late teens came out inside one of the apartments.
Kacha!
Her hair and makeup were a bit messy.
He was 100% sure that this woman wasn't among the tenants.
'A walk of shame, huh...'
Here in Womania, people's view of sex was progressive. To them, if a man can sleep around with a hundred women, then a woman also has every right to do so.
It was even celebrated when a woman has a high body count, describing them as "empowered."
Nathan took a quick glance at words printed on the woman's shirt.
'My Body, My Choice.'
Another cultural practice he was surprised about in this country was the acceptance of abortion.
Back in Muwin, although people there did abortions, especially in the Northern region, it wasn't openly talked about in fear of being judged by the religious fanatics that dominated the country.
But here, having an abortion was like no different from curing a simple flu.
'At least here in Womania, people are open and honest about it compared to the people back in Muwin who like to paint themselves as good and righteous people behind their religion.'
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Author's thoughts:
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for reading!
To those people who voted with their power stones, I would like to thank these Power Immortal Voters:
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The second immortal position is becoming an Immortal Donator by sending it to my PayPal address.
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Thank you once again and I'll see you in the next chapter.
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